Music

In Music, students develop their performance, composition, listening and appraisal skills. We hope to inspire you through investigation into music of a wide range of styles – from Baroque to Rock, Classical to Computer Gaming. You will perform and write your own music, using different instruments, basing your ideas on a variety of starting points.

The study of music will provide you with a great number of transferable skills that will help improve your progress in other subjects such as communication skills, leadership skills, confidence, problem solving, the ability to collaborate or work in a team, and the self-discipline required to practice or revise.

Our enrichment / extra-curricular activities include:

Minor Details (Choir)

Swing Band

Christmas Concert

Summer Showcase

Musical / Drama Productions

External performances with Doncaster Music Hub and other agencies

KS3 Music

At KS3, students learn mainly through practical performance, composition and listening tasks. They study a topic or composer and explore / respond to the work in practical tasks. This gives them opportunity to develop important musical skills.

During the KS3 course (Years 7 to 9), students will study a wide variety of genres and styles, ranging from classical to modern pop music. They examine music of different cultures, including traditional folk and world music. In lessons, students will be encouraged to broaden their musical horizons and to build on their own musical imagination and creativity.

Students will be assessed on their composition, performance, listening and appraisal skills in each module.

KS4 Music

At KS4, students will undertake AQA GCSE Music. They will learn through a balance of practical performance and composition tasks, alongside more detailed musical analysis. As at KS3, each concept is learnt and then explored through practical tasks.

During the GCSE course, students will cover four areas of study, each with four sub-topics:

Western Classical Tradition 1650 – 1910

Coronation Anthems & Oratorios of George Frideric Handel

Orchestral Music of Haydn, Mozart & Beethoven

Piano Music of Chopin & Schumann

Late Romantic Requiem

Popular Music

Music of Broadway 1950s – 1990s

Rock Music of the 1960s & 1970s

Film and Computer Gaming Music 1990 – present

Popular Music 1990s – present

Traditional Music

Blues Music 1920 – 1950

Fusion Music (including African and / or Caribbean music)

Contemporary Latin Music

Contemporary Folk Music of the British Isles

Western Classical Tradition since 1910

Orchestral Music of Aaron Copland

British Music of Arnold, Britten, Maxwell Davies and Tavener

Orchestral Music of Zoltán Kodaly and Béla Bartók

Minimalist Music of John Adams, Steve Reich and Terry Riley

The GCSE course is broken up into three disciplines:

Unit 1: Performing Music

Coursework - 30% of overall mark

Two performances – one solo, one ensemble – both in front of a live audience.

Internally assessed, externally moderated.

Unit 2: Composing Music

Coursework - 30% of overall mark

Two compositions in contrasting styles, along with printed scores or written commentaries.

The assessment in all disciplines of the GCSE Music course is a continual process. Performance is assessed in the form of regular “mock” solo and ensemble performances; composition through small pieces in each unit three topic and; understanding music in the form of frequent listening assessments, both formative and summative.

Studying Music will give students opportunities to:

Develop their compositional and arranging skills

Learn how to use the music technology software (GarageBand & Sibelius)